There’s a saying we Mainers use a lot throughout the year, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” In the winter, most outside activities depend on typical frigid temperatures, however, with the recent 50-60 degree days we’ve had, it is putting a damper on some of these activities, including skating on Gorham’s ice rinks across town.

Gorham has two rinks that it maintains each year. One at Narragansett School and one at Little Falls Recreation area. This year, there is the potential for a third rink at the Shaw Cherry Hill Farm on Route 25 next to the new Sebago Brewery headquarters. The lowland has filled with rainwater and snowmelt at that location and it has turned into what could potentially be quite a big rink. According to Gorham Recreation Director Cindy Hazelton, with the support of the Rec Department and Public Works, the Town is hoping to make that area usable for skating.

While the ground may be close to freezing, the erratic temperatures makes the process complicated and more difficult to keep all of the rinks smooth when it finally does freeze.

Hazelton said, “We are hoping that we could get a good solid freeze followed by a snow storm. We could go there, snowblow off what would be defined as the ‘rink’ and make some snowbanks for perimeters.”

Mother Nature is being uncooperative and the situation seems to change daily. Due to weather and snowmobile traffic, what could be a rink continues to be slushy and cracked.

Regarding the Little Falls and Narragansett rinks, Hazelton stated that after one of the last heavy and wet snowfalls, they couldn’t get onto the two rinks because the wet snow was insulating the ice, making it soft and slushy and not able to support the weight of the snow removal equipment. They were recently able to plow the rinks smooth, however, the freezing rain made them bumpy. “It is a constant battle this winter!” Hazelton added.

As we head into the colder months, know that there are folks putting in the time, trying to keep ahead of the strange Maine weather we are experiencing so that we can enjoy some of the cold winter days outside. Once the rinks are available for open skate, the hours will be daylight until 10 p.m.